The PADI Open Water Diver Certification has been the first step for millions of people beginning their own adventurous diving lifestyle and is, by far, the most popular certification course for new divers interested in unlocking the door to their own underwater adventures and travel opportunities. This lifetime certification is accepted worldwide by dive operators and is viwed as proof of your ability to be a self-sufficient diver to a depth of 60ft, or 18m.
Although this is a performance based course and subject to individual ability, experience has taught us that the Open Water Diver course takes two days to complete comfortably. If you are limited for time and are looking for a shorter certification, you may wish to to explore our PADI Scuba Diver Course which will certify to dive to a depth of 40ft, or 12m, under the supervision of a diving professional.
Theory Options
To make this course even easier to fit into your schedule, we also offer two options by which you can complete the theory portion of this course:
The first is the traditional textbook option where we deliver a textbook to your hotel upon your arrival for you to read before starting classes. This course can be completed by children as young as ten and so you should easily be able to read through the book and answer all the Knowledge Review questions at the end of each chapter within a day.
Alternatively, if you wish to spend more time next to your hotel pool with a margarita in hand, you can also elect to complete the theory before arrival via our e-learning option. Arguably the easier option, this material is also updated frequently by PADI and you will have full lifetime access to it including any and all revisions. In order for us to register and provide you with your password for this option, we would ask you to provide us with the following info:
Info required to start a PADI course:
- Full Name:
- Date of Birth:
- Email:
- Postal address:
In-Person Class
Regardless of how you choose to complete the theory portion of the course, you will also need to jump in the pool to practice skills with your PADI instructor before heading to the ocean to prove that you can complete a selection of the skills under real life conditions.
We'll begin your first the day by picking you up from your hotel (use the hotel summary at the top of the page to select your hotel for the approximate pick up and drop off times) and bring you to our dock. Here you will be fitted with your scuba gear and given a short class where we summarize the theory you have already covered in the learning material and give you a chance to voice any questions. You'll also receive hands-on instruction on how to setup, use and disassemble your own scuba equipment before finally jumping in the water to begin practicing your skills.
Skill Rehearsal
While in the water, your PADI instructor will run through the skills in pairs. First they will cover why we need to know how to do each skill and then how to complete it. You will then descend below into water shallow enough for you to stand and watch as they perform the skills before having the chance to practice them yourself. Once you have mastered these first two, you will again ascend to the surface with the instructor where they will begin the same process with the next two skill.
Please note that you will also be asked to demonstrate that you are capable of swimming or floating for 10 minutes.
On The Dives
You will have completed most of the hard work during the skill rehearsal and so can expect an almost typical diving experience. The only difference will be that you will be pulled to one side every so often in order to complete the practiced skills under real-life conditions.
Dive Site Options (Day 1)
Musa & Reef - 2 Tanks - 27ft / 9m
or Two Reefs - 2 Tanks - 27ft / 9m
Musa is hands down our most popular tour as it is both the world's largest underwater museum and is really close to Isla Mujeres which protects it from heavy currents making it a relatively easy dive for first-timers. After the dive at Musa, you will also have a second dive included at either Jardines Reef, Manchones Grande Reef or our own personal Cancún favourite, Manchones Chico Reef. All three sites are absolutely teeming with life but the latter has a large number of French and Bluestriped Grunt who school together with Schoolmaster Snapper; this combination of yellow and white fish against the deep turquoise makes for some stunning photos. It is also a great place to be on the lookout for the turtles which are released into the area by Tortugranja, a turtle sanctuary on the island. Alternatively if you wish to skip the museum and dive two of these reefs instead, simply let us know and we will sort out the logistics and make it happen for you.
Musa is also a great option if you are traveling with any non-divers who aren't quite ready to commit to a full certification but would like to give the sport a try. For more info on this option, please visit our PADI Discover Scuba Diving page.
Dive Site Options (Day 2)
Mesoamerican Reefs - 2 Tanks - 55ft / 16m
Cancún is situated at the very northern tip of the Mesoamerican Reef, the world's third largest barrier reef system, so we have a few options for you to choose from outside the gulf area between Cancún and Isla Mujeres. Both of these dives are "drift dives" meaning that our boat will drop you off at one location and we'll drift along the reef and meet it at a second location. Whilst this area isn't nearly as rich in green or hawksbill turtles, we do see the odd loggerhead turtle (aka: Mexican Godzillas) and divers are also far more likely to come across eagle ray and small reef sharks.
